The present invention relates generally to techniques and devices for welding or otherwise joining metal support structures together. More specifically, the present invention includes a miter coupling and a method of using such a miter coupling to join together a pair of metal tubes at a desired angle.
Typically, when charged with the task of joining together a pair of metal tubes having a square cross section (square metal tubes), a metal worker must cut an end of each tube to the desired angle, weld the tour sides of the tubes together, and then grind the weld down so that the joint has a smooth outer surface. This procedure, which is used during the production of many types of products, such as supports, frames, scaffolding, and the like, is very labor intensive and results in a joint that has inherently limited strength. Alternatively, when it is necessary to join the square metal tubes to form a 90 degree angle, instead of cutting each tube to form a 45 degree angle and welding the cut edges together, a metal worker may simply weld the open end of one tube to the side of the second tube adjacent the open end thereof. However, this method leaves an open end of the second tube exposed (thus requiring an end cap in many applications), further requires a grinding of the weld, and again results in an inherently weak joint.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a device and method for welding together two square metal tubes at a desired angle in a way that would provide for a high strength joint, and would be less labor intensive and less expensive than other methods.